Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian was interviewed in New York, the United States, on Monday, November 7, 2022.
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Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Ed Bastian said the Trump administration’s regulatory approach could “bring a breath of fresh air.”
Speaking to reporters ahead of Delta’s Investor Day, Bastian noted that President-elect Donald Trump said during his campaign that he would take a “new look” at regulation and bureaucracy.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has issued a series of rules aimed at protecting consumers, some of which have outraged the airline industry, including one this year requiring airlines to cancel flights after Automatically provide cash refunds to passengers.
Bastian said the industry had seen a “level of overexpansion” over the past four years.
The department is also looking at airlines’ lucrative loyalty programs, which generate billions of dollars in revenue for airlines and help them stay afloat. Current DOT leadership is seeking information on how airlines unilaterally change the value of frequent flyer points.
Delta Air Lines said on Wednesday it expected sales and profits to grow in the coming months and years, citing strong consumer demand and a surge in household wealth since the outbreak.
Trump appoints former U.S. congressman and Fox Business host Sean Duffy as his choice to lead the department. Duffy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other U.S. airline CEOs also expressed enthusiasm for the incoming administration and urged incoming officials to ensure the industry has adequate resources to improve air traffic control and other critical infrastructure under the Federal Aviation Administration.
‘We must invest in this industry’ American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said at the Skift Aviation Forum in Dallas last week. He said there is more work ahead to approve more visas so people can visit the United States
In an interview last week, sun country airlines “We just need the stability and resources of DOT,” Chief Executive Jude Bricker said.
Industry members and analysts also expect the incoming administration to be more open to mergers and consolidation.
Alaska Airlines This year, the company acquired Hawaiian Airlines without opposition from President Joe Biden’s administration. However, Biden’s Justice Department won court challenges that blocked two airline deals: the proposed acquisition of Spirit Airlines, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday. JetBlue Airways JetBlue Airways and American Airlines The plan was approved in the final days of Trump’s first administration.
“Perhaps this administration will have a different stance,” Sunland’s Bricker said. “It certainly can’t get any more opposition.”
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